The Evolution of the Giant Panda by Vivian Bich Van Dang [Student FVHS]

vvdang100 — 2015-04-22 17:43:32 UTC

The Giant Panda (2015)

vvdang100 — 2015-04-23 04:29:23 UTC

Scientific name: Ailuropoda melanoleuca

Habitat: Giant Pandas only live in bamboo forests high on the remote mountains of western China

Size: 4 to 5 feet

Weight: 300 lbs

Diet: 99% of diet is bamboo. Will sometimes eat birds or rodents. Omnivore.

Current niche: They play a crucial role in spreading seeds and facilitating growth of vegetation. Furthermore, through eco-tourism, the pandas bring huge economic benefits to communities nearby their habitats.

Sources

vvdang100 — 2015-04-23 04:40:48 UTC

1. https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/giant-panda

2. http://beartrust-dev1.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/giant-panda_.jpg

3. https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSF_wNMbVfDaPCuuqjqotzvbnwOhMVQULDy2hMgG6tbqCl6_Nud4Q

4. http://bestclipartblog.com/clipart-pics/giant-panda-clipart-3.jpg

http://www.slack.net/~rd/wanglang/panda_threats_and_protection.htm

6. http://assets.worldwildlife.org/photos/479/images/story_full_width/giant-panda-shutterstock_86500690.jpg?1345572346

7.http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/giant_panda/panda/how_many_are_left_in_the_wild_population/

8. http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/giant-panda/

9. http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Ailuropoda_melanoleuca/

10. http://csis.msu.edu/sites/csis.msu.edu/files/Observing-Brown-%26-White-Giant-Panda.jpg

11. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/10/20/article-2220591-1598AF5B000005DC-696_634x443.jpg

12. https://www.chinadialogue.net/blog/5928-Panda-habitat-threatened-by-phosphate-mining-in-south-west-China/en

13. http://en.wwfchina.org/en/what_we_do/species/fs/panda/

14. http://www.peopleandtheplanet.com/index.html@lid=28078§ion=47&topic=27.html

15.http://assets.panda.org/img/original/13___c_wwf_china.jpg

16. http://visions2200.com/Images/E_PandaMap1.jpg

17. https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSyQDdh9M-EyexyZh8rqp3KxZMdYmQdPQPHhYo_T_5Jy8UQooyJ-w

18. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/08/27/article-2189355-14934619000005DC-969_634x406.jpg

19. http://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/giantpandas/pandafacts/

20. http://facts.randomhistory.com/giant-panda-facts.html

21. http://www.nicomalan.co.za/akademie/htmlexample/tanya/poaching3.jpg

22. https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRGbDOIIYCQWCiIK_eHwcYqRJaZx2xNIUiFKPbHqNb9Dep2kL8iwA

23. http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20010216&slug=panda16

24. https://pandasaes.wordpress.com/poaching/

25. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/Grosser_Panda.JPG

26. http://awsassets.wwf.org.au/img/original/fs_road_construction_quinling_mountains_china_810x500.jpg

vvdang100 — 2015-04-23 04:45:55 UTC

vvdang100 — 2015-04-23 18:03:17 UTC

Major Threats to the Giant Panda's Survival:

ntran107 — 2015-04-29 17:36:25 UTC

1. Mining

2. Unsustainable forest practices

3. Mass tourism

4. Habitat Loss

5. Poaching

1. Mining

ntran107 — 2015-04-29 17:41:52 UTC

Phosphate mining has forced giant pandas into more "smaller and more fragmented" areas. Greenpeace and Chengdu-based NGO Hengduan Mountain Research Society investigated an area where the giant panda habitat was located to determine the hazards of phosphate mining. Greenpeace campaigner Sean Lang said "phosphate mining in the vicinity had destroyed much of the vegetation located in the hinterland of the panda habitat."

2. Unsustainable forest practices

ntran107 — 2015-04-30 17:22:37 UTC

By 2013, many trees and grasses like bamboo have been cut down to be used for other tasks. Lumberjacks have disregarded the affect that cutting down trees could have on species like the giant panda, therefore carrying on their job. The affect that cutting down trees have on giant pandas is that they wouldn't have any food to consume. With the forests being destroyed, bamboo forests (99% 0f a giant panda's diet) are also destroyed. Also, since giant pandas require at least an area of 30 km when breeding, cutting down the trees and grasses limits the space they need consequently lowering the population's already low birthrate.

PVOESHT Story

vvdang100 — 2015-04-30 17:44:00 UTC

The journey from carnivore to herbivore. Well...for the digestive system anyways.

3. Mass Tourism

ntran107 — 2015-04-30 17:55:56 UTC

Mass tourism is a threat that affects not only the giant pandas themselves, but the environment and other organisms. Jiuzhaigou is a nature reserve and national park that is the mecca of mass tourism. Jiuzhaigou has exceptional hotels and beautiful scenic charms that will catch the eye of a tourist. However, due to the affects of overdevelopment and the new and improved ring road, the pandas' actual habitat is slowly decreasing. Jiuzhaigou is no longer a place where the pandas' habitat is the first priority. Their first priority as of now is to make it an ideal place for customers to stay in order to make high profit.

vvdang100 — 2015-05-02 23:10:41 UTC

4. Habitat Loss

vvdang100 — 2015-05-03 00:24:51 UTC

A shrinking habitat is what's endangering the giant panda, not the lack of breeding. In order to keep their habitat from shrinking, their habitat needs to be secured and kept away from those who want to produce mass tourism, unsustainable forest practices, poaching, or mining. One example of habitat loss is the loss of suitable mountain forests in China which is considered a major threat to the population.

5. Poaching

vvdang100 — 2015-05-03 00:25:11 UTC

Poaching giant pandas are the second main reason why their population is decreasing rapidly. Since giant pandas are rare animals, their skins are viewed as a treasure and people can obtain large amounts of profit from poaching a panda. Even though it's considered illegal to poach animals, some hunters would take the risk due to the amount money they could gain.

Evolutionary Tree

vvdang100 — 2015-05-03 05:24:33 UTC

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DzyDgoDXXlCft7Nilsg4qljncLeF1Hi67tz18aRNcdc/pub

Ailuropoda Uniumursis

vvdang100 — 2015-05-03 05:53:07 UTC

Introducing THE ONE...THE ONLY...THE AMAZING...AILUROPODA UNIUMURSIS! AKA the Fast Panda

Evidence For Evolution

vvdang100 — 2015-05-03 06:01:04 UTC

1. Biogeography

2. Fossil Record

3. Comparative Anatomy

4. Comparative Embryology

5. Molecular Biology

1. Biogeography

vvdang100 — 2015-05-03 15:12:34 UTC

The Fast Panda lives in the same area as the Giant Pandas therefore indicating that the Fast Panda evolved from the Giant Pandas. Even though the two species don't look exactly alike when compared, the environment that the two share are the same.

2. Fossil Record

vvdang100 — 2015-05-03 15:13:38 UTC

Fossil records show that there was a similarity regarding the spines of the two species. Many transitional spines were found which showed the Giant Panda slowly forming the Fast Panda spine. One spine of a Giant Panda showed the typical large and heavy structure. The second spine of the Giant Panda displayed a medium-sized spine that was still heavy. The third spine of the Giant Panda showed similar structure yet the size decreased even more. The fourth spine, which belongs to the Fast Panda, was lightweight and significantly more flexible. The spines in these fossils were different, but the other bones were all very similar.

3. Comparative Anatomy

vvdang100 — 2015-05-03 15:13:45 UTC

The Giant Panda and the Fast Panda both have a "fake thumb" which they use to grasp and eat bamboo. Furthermore, the two species both have a similar skull with large sharp teeth that are used to eat the hard bamboo. However, an analogous structure is the paw of the two pandas. The Giant Panda has paws with a thick layer of muscle and skin while the Fast Panda has a thinner layer. But they are both used to cushion the pandas when walking. A vestigial structure is the panda's tail. The Giant Panda has a small bone at the end of it's body that would serve as the tail bone. The Fast Panda does not have this bone but still has a flap of fur and skin which resembles a tail.

4. Comparative Embryology

vvdang100 — 2015-05-03 15:13:58 UTC

The embryos of the Fast Panda and the Giant Panda share many similarities. The first stage of development shows that both species look nearly identical. They two both have a shrimp-like shape, gill slits, and a dark clump where the eye forms. In the second stage, the two different species begin to develop into their own different species but similarities are still present. The Fast Panda's limb are much more developed than those of the Giant Panda. The third stage shows the two species at the peak of full development meaning that the embryo looks the most like the actual species compared to the other stages. Their limbs have formed and the two species can be differentiated between each other due to the different structures.

5. Molecular Biology

ntran107 — 2015-05-03 17:56:29 UTC

The molecular biology behind the two species show that they are extremely similar when it comes to their amino acid sequences. When comparing the amino acids of 2 different proteins, its showed that there were many similarities between the two different species. When comparing the sequence in Cytochrome C, the two organisms were 95% identical. Furthermore, when comparing the amino acid sequence of hemoglobin, there was only one difference in the amino acid sequence between the Fast Panda and the Giant Panda. This indicates that the Fast Panda and the Giant Panda are extremely similar when it comes to the evolutionary relationship that they share. The image below shows the one difference in a fragment of the amino acid sequence.

vvdang100 — 2015-05-04 02:55:49 UTC

vvdang100 — 2015-05-04 03:02:38 UTC